Fowler ready to hear Anfield roar

Anfield return
The striker, who is preparing for his first UEFA Champions League home match since his January return to the club, attended last season's semi-final win against Chelsea FC as a fan. Recalling the "incredible" noise that evening, he admitted he was hoping Liverpool's supporters would once again play their part against SL Benfica.

Do his bit
"They'll get behind us and we'll see how the opposition react," said Fowler, who added: "I don't know whether the opposition players will just freeze but I'm all for them freezing tomorrow, to be honest." Fowler is desperate to do his bit too to help the European champions overturn their 1-0 deficit from the first leg of this first knockout round tie, preferably by scoring his first goal since rejoining his beloved Liverpool.

Goal shortage
Just as on his first appearance back in a red shirt against Birmingham City FC, Fowler had a last-minute winner ruled out against Charlton Athletic FC on Saturday. That goalless draw had the critics questioning an Anfield attack (also including Djibril Cissé, Peter Crouch and Fernando Morientes) who between them have contributed one goal in 14 games in 2006.

Rub of the green
"We haven't had the rub of the green lately," said Fowler. "I've had two goals chalked off for offside, but I am getting into the positions and I hope that sooner rather than later the goals will start to flow."

Natural instinct
Re-signed because Rafael Benítez recognised his natural instinct for finding the net, Fowler, who struck 171 goals in 330 appearances for Liverpool first time round, is recovering his sharpness after fitness problems earlier in the season at Manchester City FC. He explained: "I'd not played many times this year and since I came here, I have played a few more games than I expected. At the moment I am feeling good with each game."

'I want to stay'
Now he is eager to prove he is worth more than his current short-term deal which ends this summer - and there is only one way to do that. "I want to stay here as long as I can. If I score goals then it will be difficult for the manager and the people upstairs, Rick Parry and the chairman, not to give me a contract," he said.

Everything to play for
"I want to score goals in every game and [the Benfica match] would be a good place to start. We're getting beaten 1-0 but it's only half-time and there's everything to play for. It's not the most difficult task in the world, other teams have come back from 1-0 down.

Job to do
"For large portions we did control the game over there," he added. "The last ten minutes they managed to score a goal and it's put us on the back foot, but it's one of those things. As the home team, they stopped us from playing, they did their job, but we're going to do our job tomorrow and we know what that is." And should they do it with a Robbie Fowler goal, the roof really will come off at Anfield.